Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Stake Raised by Robbins Farley

Robbins Farley boosted its stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 34.4% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 62,083 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 15,883 shares during the period. Walmart makes up approximately 2.9% of Robbins Farley’s portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest position. Robbins Farley’s holdings in Walmart were worth $5,450,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. acquired a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC raised its holdings in Walmart by 1,007.7% in the 4th quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 262 shares during the last quarter. Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. Mizuho Bank Ltd. acquired a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at $41,000. Finally, Nexus Investment Management ULC acquired a new position in Walmart in the 1st quarter valued at $49,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

NYSE:WMT opened at $94.20 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $95.79 and a two-hundred day moving average of $94.06. The stock has a market cap of $751.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.09, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $66.30 and a 1-year high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.60 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th were given a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 9th. This represents a yield of 0.95%. Walmart’s payout ratio is currently 40.17%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.66, for a total transaction of $195,052.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 398,024 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $35,288,807.84. This trade represents a 0.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.95, for a total transaction of $343,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 888,309 shares in the company, valued at $76,350,158.55. The trade was a 0.45% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 137,534 shares of company stock valued at $12,833,664 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently commented on WMT shares. Mizuho upped their price objective on Walmart from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, June 9th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Raymond James dropped their price objective on Walmart from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 11th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on Walmart from $93.00 to $91.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $106.50.

About Walmart

Walmart Inc engages in the operation of retail, wholesale, other units, and eCommerce worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Walmart U.S., Walmart International, and Sam's Club. It operates supercenters, supermarkets, hypermarkets, warehouse clubs, cash and carry stores, and discount stores under Walmart and Walmart Neighborhood Market brands; membership-only warehouse clubs; ecommerce websites, such as walmart.com.mx, walmart.ca, flipkart.com, PhonePe and other sites; and mobile commerce applications.